Royaumont Abbey, Gothic abbey in Asnières-sur-Oise, France
Royaumont Abbey is a Cistercian monastery with a preserved cloister, sacristy, and refectory displaying Gothic architectural details from its 13th-century construction. The complex includes a church with characteristic pointed arches and several outbuildings that maintain the monastic layout.
Louis IX founded Royaumont in 1228, and construction was completed on 19 October 1235. The king came to the site nineteen times, sometimes carrying stone and mortar. The abbey became the burial place for three of his children who died young: Blanche (d. 1243), Jean (d. 1248) and Louis (d. 1260).
The Royaumont Foundation has operated this as a cultural venue since 1964, hosting music festivals, art exhibitions, and creative workshops for visitors. The site brings together performance and visual arts throughout the year within its historic setting.
The abbey lies at the hamlet of Baillon, in Asnières-sur-Oise, about 30 km north of Paris, at the meeting of the Oise, Thève and Ysieux rivers. The park and pond are classified with the buildings, so paths cross lawns and water edges; the sacristy, cloister and refectory survive while the abbey church is a ruin. Allow time for both the standing rooms and the ruined walls.
From January 1915 to March 1919 the abbey housed Hôpital Auxiliaire 301, run by the Scottish Women's Hospitals under the French Red Cross, with Frances Ivens as chief medical officer; she was later made a member of the Légion d'honneur. The hospital was noted for treating soldiers from the Battle of the Somme. Mary-Rose MacColl's novel In Falling Snow is set here.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,313 contributors worldwide.
